


Talk is cheap

by Delilah2040



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Captain Yamaguchi Tadashi, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Hinata Shouyou & Tsukishima Kei Friendship, Hinata Shouyou & Yamaguchi Tadashi Friendship, Love Confessions, M/M, Mention of Symptoms of Anxiety, Minor Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Protective Tsukishima Kei, Sad Yamaguchi Tadashi, Slow Build, Talking, Third Year Tsukishima Kei, Third Year Yamaguchi Tadashi, Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi Friendship, Tsukishima Kei is Bad at Feelings, mentions of sensory overload
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:48:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27503326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Delilah2040/pseuds/Delilah2040
Summary: Yamaguchi is good at reading people, Tsukishima hates using his words.It takes them a while to find their perfect match.(Endgame Tsukiyama)
Relationships: (Endgame), Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio & Tsukishima Kei & Yachi Hitoka & Yamaguchi Tadashi, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, Tsukishima Kei/Original Male Character(s), Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi, Yachi Hitoka/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 85





	Talk is cheap

**Author's Note:**

> Late fic for Yamaguchi's birthday which was yesterday :) enjoy :))

It was a Wednesday, the morning sun was slightly warmer than usual for the time of year but it was an ordinary Wednesday. Yamaguchi jogged the final few metres from the corner to the large tree where Tsukishima was waiting. 

He slowed down when he was close enough to the blond to give him a smile, instantly noticing how his shoulders were drawn in and his headphones were on. Tsukishima didn't smile back, he didn't need to, his best friend knew he was glad to see him. 

On a normal day, Tsukishima would push his headphones down to his neck or at least, stand tall. Tadashi thought to himself 'maybe this isn't an ordinary day after all.'

This wasn't something that people saw from Tsukishima often. He was human, he had his bad days, he hated crowds, new environments, unfamiliar people and anything that is different from exactly what he expects. Even if people did see this side of Tsukishima, it's unlikely that they would be able to pick up on it. Yamaguchi had a back for reading people and after being friends with the other boy for so long, the tiny cues in his behaviour and actions were just as communicative as if he'd used words. 

He softened his smile, making sure that his friend still saw it and positioned himself close enough to give comfort but not close enough that their arms would brush. 

He stayed quiet knowing that sometimes on bad days, his friend could be overwhelmed by stimulus. Even when they got to school, he made sure to push him away from where the other first years with a gentle touch to his elbow, instead they passed Suga and Daichi where they were sitting on a bench. 

The third years gave them warm smiles which Yamaguchi returned. 

They sat in silence all day, mostly secluded from the rest of the world as per Kei's unvoiced request. Yamaguchi also didn't leave his side, the two more attached at the hip than usual. 

Tsukishima was grateful that he had his best friend. He was grateful that he could ask for things he needed without even having to take the energy to use words. He was always grateful for this but especially on days like this where everything was just a little bit much. 

Eventually, at the end of the day, hidden under a tree instead of at practice, Tsukishima let his head fall to Yamaguchi's shoulder. The other boy remained careful, not initiating any more contact than the taller boy was readily giving. 

Yamaguchi could infer many things from this tiny bit of contact. Firstly, that his friend felt safe with him, that he was seeking comfort and that there was something he wanted to talk about but he didn't know how to bring it up. Tsukishima didn't like not knowing things, he wasn't a gossip but he did need to know everything that was going on. He needed to find answers to every possible question. He was hiding his face, subtly, most likely subconsciously, which could be because he was embarrassed about not knowing how to start up the conversation but it could also be because he's afraid of something. 

Additionally, on days like this, Tsukishima relied on a very different set of rules. Ordinarily, physical contact was something easy between them, not necessarily meaningless, but not quite so purposefully meaningful. This particular touch was Kei's way of reaching for help, the first step, leaving the second step, actually verbally starting the conversation to Tadashi. 

It took Tadashi all of two and a half seconds to work this out. "What happened?" He asks, keeping his voice soft enough that the only reason his friend hears it at all is because he's listening out for it.

"I went to the supermarket with my mother last night and I... bumped into someone from school," He sits up straight as he says this. His eyes flickering briefly to the road as if looking for an escape. It was the briefest flicker but it told Yamaguchi that his friend didn't want to be having this conversation. He doesn't say anything, letting his friend speak at his own pace. 

"They gave me a confession," 

Tadashi doesn't miss the purposeful omission of gender. His friend stops talking, eyes searching Tadashi's. He'd said everything he needed for the other boy to work it out himself. 

From those few words, Tadashi knew for starters, that the person who confessed was a boy, Tsukishima wouldn't have bothered to hide the gender if it wasn't, and secondly, he knew that his friend had accepted, the confession wouldn't have affected him at all if he hadn't and there wouldn't be anything to be scared of when telling his friend. 

The conversation wasn't so much about him telling the story. It was him, asking Yamaguchi if he was okay with the fact that he was seeing another boy. 

It was something in the wide eyes partially hidden by dark frames that told the shorter boy that right now, his best friend was terrified. 

He gives him a big smile, as warm as he can, ignoring the pang in his chest, he would address that later. 

"Who is he? when's your first date?" He asks. To an outsider, Tsukishima might look like he hadn't moved at all, the relieved slump of his shoulders so subtle and twitch at the corners of his mouth so minuscule that they were easy to miss. 

Tadashi wraps his arms around his friend. "It doesn't matter to me who you date Kei, as long as they treat you well,"

Tsukishima grips his friend tightly, a silent 'I know/thank you.'

~~

Tsukishima had been dating the other boy for two months. 

An exaggerated sigh draws his attention to where his boyfriend was sitting across the table from him. It was lunchtime and Tadashi had wordlessly left him to his boyfriend and was currently sitting with Hinata, Kageyama and their new manager in training Yachi. 

He quirks an eyebrow at his boyfriend before looking back down at his food. Another exaggerated sigh makes Tsukishima snap. 

"Well, are you going to actually tell me what's wrong or are you just going to keep blowing air out like a broken air conditioner?" He asks in his monotonous voice. Yamaguchi would have laughed at that. He also probably would have picked up on the frustration and slight fear in his voice. 

"What the hell do you want me to do?" His boyfriend replies similarly exasperated. "You act uninterested in everything, I can't tell if you're ever actually listening and you never bloody talk to me! I'm not a freaking mind reader! You're a terrible boyfriend."

Tsukishima wants to snark back that Yamaguchi can tell, Yamaguchi made an effort to learn how to tell these kinds of things. And that he was interested in some things, and once again Yamaguchi could tell when he was interested in something or not. Tsukishima wants to tell him all of this and tell him that maybe it's him who is the terrible boyfriend.

But he can't as he feels his throat grow tight as emotions and panic start to raise up. Instead, he stands, grabbing his things, he simply says, "Well, I guess it's over then, wish I could say it was a pleasure,"

He ignores his- now ex- boyfriend's please to come back so they can work it out, so that they could talk, thinking bitterly that Yamaguchi never needs him to talk. 

When Yamaguchi sees him next, his eyes go wide and he instantly plasters himself to his friend's side, their arms pressed together from shoulder to wrist. Tsukishima has to hide his smile under his hand at the vicious glare his best friend gives his ex-boyfriend, a glare scary enough to make the other boy flinch and speed away. 

~~

After that, things remain normal between the two of them, the easy nonverbal communication, the inside jokes, the closeness that often made others question if they truly were just friends. 

Then at the beginning of their third year, Yamaguchi and Yachi started dating. 

Yamaguchi had told his Tsukishima with a wide smile on his face, excitement tinging every word. His smile drops a little bit when he looks up to meet Tsukishimas gaze. He was doing something he hadn't done for a very long time, at least not to Tadashi. He was hiding his emotions. 

Tadashi could still tell that the taller boy was upset, he just couldn't figure out why. He hated not being able to read someone completely. But he knew his best friend, clearly, it was something he didn't what to tell him. He wasn't happy about it but, he would respect that his friend didn't want him to know, and so, he stayed quiet. 

Everything was fine for a while, the now third years all hung out together on breaks, Yachi always among them, and Yamaguchi's time was split pretty evenly between his girlfriend and his best friend as he made sure he didn't neglect either of them. 

But Yachi was annoyed at him. It wasn't obvious to anyone else, but Yamaguchi was good at reading people. He noticed the way her jaw clenched ever so slightly the next time they were sitting together in their small group at lunch. 

"What's wrong?" He asks her quietly. 

"That!" She bursts, "The mind-reading! I can't do it anymore! i-its violating! you- you just KNOW everything! it's not fair!" She shouts. Her eyes suddenly go wide meeting Yamaguchi's own. She watched speechless as tears started to form in his eyes but before she could apologise, Yamaguchi was sprinting off. 

Hinata immediately took off after him while Tsukishima blocked the smaller girl's path. 

She lets out a small 'meep' of fear as the tall blond glowers down at her but accepts her looming death as punishment for reacting the way she had. 

soon shes left with just Kageyama as Tsukishima leaves to follow Hinata after their friend. Kageyama gives her an awkward pat on the shoulder "To be fair, it is kind of freaky how he just knows everything, I think the only person who can put up with that for that long is Tsukishima," He says, not intending to be rude because he and Yamaguchi were friends and he enjoyed spending time with the other boy but there were times when being read like a book made him feel overly exposed.

Tsukishima finds Yamaguchi crying in the locked stall of a bathroom, Hinata buzzing right outside the door. 

"We don't hate you, Yamaguchi! I mean yeah, you being able to read us so easily is kind of uncomfortable some times but its not that bad!"

"I- I try not to do it too much with you guys cause I know you don't like it but I didn't realise you hated it that much!!! Tha- that you felt violated!" Yamaguchi's voice comes muffled by the door and broken up by wet sobs and hiccups.

Tsukishima motions silently for Hinata to leave but the shorter boy just looks to the stall holding their friend with worry. The blond feels a soft warmth in his chest knowing that Hinata was so willing to disobey him out of worry for their friend. 

"Oi, tangerine, scram," He says, letting some of the warmth drip into his voice. Hinata gives him a glare lacking any real spite and a soft pat to his arm as he walks past. 

"Tadashi? will you let me in?" He asks softly, voice unsure. 

"I- I can't! cause then I-I'll just- I'll violate you!" The other boy sobs. 

Tsukishima holds back a snicker at the absurdity of how those words sound. 

"Tadashi," He says again, trying to put everything he was feeling into the one word, unsure of how to use words himself instead. 

"Tsukki" Yamaguchi replies. 

Tsukishima sighs and slides to the floor of the bathroom, back against the stall door unintentionally mirroring the position of the boy on the other side. "Tsukki, how do you not hate me," a small broken voice comes, one that if he hadn't known any better, he wouldn't have even believed had come from his friend. 

At that moment, he decides that words are important, just this once. 

"Tadashi, I could never hate you,"

"But I- I'm pathetic,"

"Shut up Yamaguchi," He says before cutting off his friend's automatic reply of 'sorry Tsukki' "You're the coolest person I know. You're kind, and you're caring and you work so hard in everything you do. And you don't- you don't violate me. I like that you can read me that well. I don't like using words- don't really know how to. But you, I can communicate with you without having to speak just fine. A-and just because you can read me and the others so well, doesn't mean you always have to do everything you can to like, make us feel better or make us happy or whatever. You're a good friend Yamaguchi Tadashi, and I love everything about you," The tall boy confesses, even while knowing the other boy would only take it in the platonic meaning. 

He feels the door open, quickly moving to his feet and facing his friend. "Say it again," The shorter boy sniffles. 

"You are a good friend and I love you," 

Tadashi launches himself into his best friends chest in a tight hug, a sobbing a sniffling mess with only the blockers strong arms holding him together. 

"Love you too Kei," He mumbles, voice muffled by how hard his cheek was pressed into the other boy's white school shirt. 

"Come on, lets ditch and go to mine, we can try to make fries again?" Tsukishima suggests already dragging the other boy out. 

"Bu- what about volleyball practice! I'm the captain! I can't just ditch!" Yamaguchi protests weakly. 

"It's fine, Kageyama and Hinata can look after the team for one day,"

They bump into Yachi on their way out, Kei immediately putting himself between the two and glaring at the small girl. 

"Kei, stop, you're terrifying her," Yamaguchi tells his best friend stepping out next to him once more. 

"Yamaguchi-Kun, I wanted to apologise for acting the way I did, it was rude and thoughtless of me," Yachi says, her voice quivering but her words were sure. "I want you to know that I care very deeply for you and didn't intend any harm," she looks down at her shoes and Yamaguchi grips Tsukishimas hand tightly, absently taking notice of how the action is returned. 

"However, I do believe we are better off as friends, I understand if you can not forgive me but I hope that we can continue to be civil at least for the sake of the team," 

Yamaguchi notes the way his friend's posture relaxes in relief and has to hold back the curios look he wanted to give his friend, instead allowing for his full attention to fall on Yachi. 

"It's okay, I forgive you, I might need some time but... I would like to be friends again eventually," He says giving her a shy small smile. 

she gives her friends a dramatic bow before they separate ways and the boys make their way to the Tsukishima house. 

Hours later, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima are curled next to each other on the blonds bed, a plate of burnt, over-salted potatoes abandoned between them. 

"Say it again," Yamaguchi asks quietly breaking the comfortable silence and drawing his friends attention. "What you said at school," he quickly clarifies. 

A light pink dusts his friend's cheeks as he says seriously "I love you Tadashi," 

"You don't just mean that in a friend way do you?" The other boy doesn't reply, just looks at him, their faces already close enough for their breaths to mingle between them. Tadashi reaches up to cup his friend's cheek, thumb brushing over his pink cheekbone. "Good, because I love you too, I think I have for as long as I've known you,"

Kei was never as good at reading people as Yamaguchi was, he never needed to be. He could always rely on his best friend to tell him the truth upfront and to use his words in a way that he himself was never able to do. He always trusted Tadashi's word and that wasn't something that would ever change. So he lent forward, closing the gap, and pressed his lips softly to his best friends chapped ones. The feeling of his rough lips under his own soft ones was both soothing and grounding. 

Tadashi pressed his back, the feeling of warmth enveloping him easily. They didn't need to talk about it when they pulled away, the soft smiles and flushed cheaks saying enough.

They didn't need words to tell anyone else either apparently, Kageyama's cocky "I knew it," the first time he saw them kiss told them as much. 

Two years later, after a year at the same university as Kiyoko, Yachi and the former manager started dating. Kageyama and Hinata didn't get their shit together and move from psuedo dating to actual dating until an entire three years after that, two of those they had spent living together. 

Something Kei made sure to tease them about at their wedding.


End file.
